start up a first new tropical tank

[shane]

hello all im new just signed up

i wondering what semi big fish i could put in my tank i was thinking of a goast knife but i am not sure if it will be compatible with all the other fish i have recently put in my tank. my tank is 48" LongX 14" wide X18" deep i have in there at the moment 6 X tiger barbs, 2 X baby silver sharks, 4X angles, 1X clown loaches, 6X snails, 2X the yellow sucking cat fish and 2X some kind of tiny cat fish,
so if any one has any ideas of what i can put in with them i will eprecieate it

 

[Fish 'R' Fun]

Hi,
Most fish would be fine apart from those with long tails due to the barbs.
So no guppies, livebearers etc. Most larger fish r fine.

 

[shane]

ook thanks
have u herd any thing about the rainbow sharks or the red tailed one i herd something about them berring other fish under the rocks when the lights go out not to sure i need some thing with a bit of colour

 

[dwarfgourami]

Hate to say it, but I think you're overstocked already. I make that a 44 gallon tank which is hardly going to be enough in the long run for either bala sharks or clown loaches.
Anyway, both bala sharks and clown loaches are schooling fish and need to be in larger groups.
Also, what type are your golden sucking fish? If they are Chinese algae eaters you can expect them to attack your angels as they get older. IF they are plecos they should be allright, but then you need to read up on their needs (eg some need bogwood to eat).
I would not buy any more fish just now, but would put in a lot of time researching the fish already in the tank. Don't hesitate to ask questions here; lots of people will have experience of those particular fish.

 

[shane]

bugger i think they are the algae eaters not sure they are fast move quite quick chacing each other around
thanks i think i shoud be tacking them out
i have a big lump of drift wood in the tank
the prick in the store said i coud fit around 30 medium fish in my tank

 

[dwarfgourami]

Afraid neither bala sharks nor clown loaches can count as medium fish, they both grow quite large and bala sharks need extra room as they are fast swimmers; they get very nervous and skittish if kept confined.
I'm sorry you've been given such rotten advice, not the first time that's happened sadly. Basically, you should never buy any fish until you have researched its particular requirements: what food does it want, how large does it grow, is it a fast swimmer, is it a heavy waste producer, does it grow aggressive/territorial, does it need to be kept in shoals or alternatively can it not be kept with anything that looks like itself, does it need hiding places, is it a fin-nipper, does it have special requirements as to ph?

The problem areas I can see are:

the eventual size of the clown loach and bala sharks

the need of the clown loaches and sharks to shoal

keeping tiger barbs (fin nippers) with angel fish

keeping Chinese algae eaters in a community tank

Besides, is the tank cycled? What are your water stats?

You will need to do some sorting out of this tank, and possibly some rehoming, but I'm afraid I'm not the person to advise you on the best arrangement. Hopefully other people will have good ideas.

 

[shane]

thanks for your advice i guess i better start look what in there and work out what i am going to do

yes the tank is cycled
the ph is around 7.2
the general hardness is around 175ppm

thats the only test i hav done

it is so anoying when they give you half advice and dont tell u all you neeed to know

does it make any difference if they all grow up together because they are all babies i have only just put most of them in this weekend

 

[tttnjfttt]

Question - How do you know your tank is cycled when you don't have test kits for ammonia or nitrite? Or was it you knew the numbers were zero, so said yes it is cycled, and just didn't type...

I have seen so many people say yes the tank is cycled, but when asked specifics, it ends up not being cycled. Just one of those bases i've seen need to be covered. Nothing against you personally.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Oh, and do check my calculations won't you?

 

[shane]

no i use the cycle liquid stuff thats y i think it is cycled??
yes i will do

 

[tttnjfttt]

I checked the volume using THIS PAGE, which says the volume is 52.36...so I'm assuming this is a 55 US gal tank, just slightly off in the measurements.


As for stocking levels -
Angel Fish - 5" x 4 = 20"
Tiger barbs - 2.5" x6 = 15"
Silver Sharks - Rehome, tank is too small (up to 16")
Clown Loach - Rehome, tank is too small (up to 18")
Chinese Alge Eater - 6" x 2 = 12"
Mystery Cat - 5?" x 2 = 10"

You are definately over stocked. There are two types of fish who are way too small for your tank, the CAE's should really go elsewhere because they do become VERY territorial and agressive as they mature. You need to find out what your "tiny mysterious cat" is because all fish start out small, but don't necessarily end up small.

As for the liquid Cycle, I hate to tell you this, but it is a total waste of money and your tank is definately not cycled. The biggest tip off on anything like that is if it doesn't have an expiration date and need to be kept in a refrigerator, its junk. The bacteria need a food supply to keep them alive, which would have to be a set amount. Not enough to keep them going indefinately. The other problem is controling the bacteria growth. Keeping these types of products refrigerated help to slow the growth. Besides the science behind it, I can tell you taht I have tried Cycle in my tank before when I had a mini cycle, and even though I dosed the tank daily with it, my tank still took about 5 days of daily water changes to have the nitrite go from .25 to 0. You can look for Bio Spira, that one is usually good.

Good Luck!

 

[shane]

the mystry cats the lady said they will double in size which is about 1" to 2" but what you've been she could be wrong like a lot of other things

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Ooooo according to that calculation my tank is larger than I thought! It's actually 37.4 usg or 145.5litres.
Glad I checked now. I'd only gone by what the previous owner had guessed before. Every little extra means my babes have more room. B)
Sounds terribly overstocked Shane. But looks like tttnjfttt has gone through all that already.
Hugs,
P.

 

[shane]

i wanted fish that would be active and a little aggressive so i could watch a bit of fighting lol but i dont what to do now i think i might have to start again

 

[tttnjfttt]

Active and a little agressive - TIGER BARBS!!!!!!!!!! I have them in my tank and love them.

If I were you, I would immediately return/rehome the clown loaches, bala sharks (aka silver sharks), the chineese alge eaters, and the angels. You said you want agressive and active, which Angels really don't fit into. They become the target of the agression.

Your tank will be going through a cycle, so buy a test kit that can handle ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Big Al's has a master test kit for $12.99 (US), which is a really good deal. Tiger Barbs are sensitive to changes in the water, and not the greatest cycling fish. If you decide to keep them and try to get them through your cycle, you will need to do daily water changes, and possibly use an ammonia and nitrite locking agent, such as Amquel, to keep the ammonia and nitrite non toxic to the fish.

As for the mystery cats, do they look like THIS?